


Trainjumping and Technology

by franticallywhisperedstories



Category: The Bold Type
Genre: Alcohol, Espionage, Follows Canon mostly, Humor, Multi, other than y'know the spy thing, relationships not a focus, secret agent AU, secret agents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-11 06:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11708391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/franticallywhisperedstories/pseuds/franticallywhisperedstories
Summary: "So, as it turns out, their vague cover story of 'we’re a women’s magazine, don’t worry about it, our publication will never affect you in any way' is being questioned big time, and although Jacqueline isn’t concerned per se, she wants them to step up their game. Like, a lot."Or- The Bold Type, but with a lot more explosions and gadgets.





	Trainjumping and Technology

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know anything, please feel free to correct me on stuff

“Okay,” Jane says, “okay, okay.” A short pause as she takes another sip of the five-dollar wine she found on the bottom shelf of the Merlemart. “The Society for the Cool and Awesome Revolutionary Ladies of Explosions and Trainjumping.”

“That’s a resounding _no,”_ Kat says from atop the crate of fake nails that were moved to the disguise closet after the Cherry Bomb Incident of 2012. “Guys, it’s not an acronym.”

“I think there’s another _t_ in there somewhere,” Sutton says. “There are two _t’s,_ right Kat?”

“Explosions, Trainjumping, and Technology,” Jane finishes decisively. “That’s it.”

“It’s just a _color,_ ” Kat says. “The first thing I could think of after negative four hours of sleep.”

“It’s a good name,” Sutton soothes. Out of the three of them, she is almost certainly the least drunk and the least stressed, so best-friend-calming has fallen to her for the evening. “It’s inconspicuous.”

“You think so?” Kat says, squinting at the precariously-balanced lamp that’s about three seconds from falling off the clothing rack and shattering into a million pieces. “Jacqueline just did that _hmm_ thing she does. You know. The _hmm_?”

Jane groans. “Damn that woman’s mysterious and powerful vocal chords.”

One battle at a time, Sutton reminds herself. One battle at a time. “The Scarlet Society sounds nice,” she offers.

“It sounds like something from a badly-written erotica and you know it,” Kat says. “I was panicking.”

“Or a very well-written erotica,” Sutton says. “I think it sounds more like a well-written erotica, don’t you?”

Jane nods. “Oh yeah, _totally.”_

Kat considers them both, trying to decide if they’re lying or not. Eventually, she settles on _not,_ more because she wants it to be true than anything. She grabs the wine and takes a generous swig, ignoring Jane’s scandalized noise of protest.

“Kat, easy,” Sutton says. “The name’s fine and everyone will love it. Jane-,” she breaks off, trying to remember what Jane was doing- “stop trying to come up with acronyms.”

“Some of us probably jump trains, right?” Jane says. “We’re a literal secret society, there must be at least one daring train jump in our past.”

“Oh, definitely,” Kat says. “Because the New York City subway system works like that.”

Jane swats at her arm half-heartedly, misses by a few inches, and dissolves into sleepy giggles.

Sutton pours herself more wine (that’s the worst thing she’s tasted in her life, where did Jane even find it?) and holds out her plastic cup. “To Scarlet,” she says, testing the name out. To her delight, she actually kind of likes it.

“To Scarlet!” Kat and Jane echo. Cheap wine is sloshed across the floor, Jane falls melodramatically into Sutton’s lap, and Kat kicks aside a pair of boots with actual _knives_ in the heels.

This is, without a doubt, the weirdest place Sutton ever has or ever will work, and she hopes she never has to leave.

* * *

 

So, as it turns out, their vague cover story of “we’re a women’s magazine, don’t worry about it, our publication will never affect you in any way” is being questioned big time, and although Jacqueline isn’t _concerned_ per se, she wants them to step up their game. Like, a lot.

The wall flashes before the next slide of the informational PowerPoint that Lauren made late last night appears. It features a glossy picture of a smiling blonde woman with a cocktail glass and the word SCARLET in big pink letters above her forehead.

For some reason, all Kat can think is that at least Jacqueline liked her name suggestion.

Lauren briefs them in her briefing voice (most of them have one) about the people who bought the space below them in the building. Who, as a stroke of crazy misfortune would have it, are the publishers of a men’s magazine called _Pinstripe,_ which is a super dumb name that doesn’t hold a candle to _Scarlet,_ in Kat’s professional opinion.

Naturally, they want to check out their competition, which doesn’t exist, because Scarlet Magazine is not an actual thing that people have made.

So, they’re now scrambling to look like a genuine publication while also keeping up their secret-agent duties to a reasonable extent and also not getting killed, yeah, that would be great.

Lauren keeps talking about page spreads and articles and does anyone want to do the Best Orgasm column and this is probably just a really weird dream that Kat’s having. She’s been hardcore-trained to expect the unexpected, but this is making her head spin.

Lauren now has a T-chart of what everyone’s supposed “position” at Scarlet Magazine is based on their real job and Jacqueline is standing up and giving a quick speech about how everyone is to take this incredibly seriously at all times, okay, no joke, and then there’s a smattering of hesitant applause and they’re dismissed.

Jane and Sutton corner her immediately afterwards, wearing identical expressions of worry. Kat isn’t too fussed, actually. Her job’s been added to a bit, and now she has to make a Twitter account, but their organization survived one of the biggest smuggling busts of the century and she’s pretty sure they can do anything.

Jane speaks first. “Do you think this means I won’t become an agent?”

Kat winces. When this whole upheaval started, Jane was in the process of getting her application reviewed with a decent chance of scoring the job of her dreams. Now, it probably isn’t even Jacqueline’s fifth or sixth priority.

“Come on,” Sutton says. “We all know you’re going to become an agent. It just might take a little longer.”

“I don’t want to stay Marlene’s assistant,” Jane says. The crowd starts to move toward the main offices, and they follow. “She never tells me what’s in the boxes I’m carrying and her Starbucks orders are ridiculously complicated.”

Kat reaches out and smooths down a strand of Jane’s hair. “You won’t,” she says. “This magazine thing won’t really change anything. You’re on the fast-track to being Jane Bond.”

Jane rolls her eyes at the nickname, like she always does, but she seems satisfied.

“How long do we have to keep this up?” Sutton says. “If we have to publish an actual magazine-,”

“Jacqueline has it under control,” Kat says. “Everyone here knows what they’re doing. We’ll be fine, okay? We’ll be totally, totally, fine.”

* * *

 

Jane’s just typing up the list of arsenics Marlene left for her when Jacqueline calls her name. It takes twelve seconds and two more bullet points for her to realize it.

She bounces up, hits save, and almost trips over herself getting to Jacqueline’s office, although not without a sinkhole of dread in her stomach. This is it, this is when her childhood idol slash adulthood idol tells her that there’s no way she has what it takes to be an agent and she’s doomed to spend the rest of her career trying to guess whether she’s holding a box of dynamite or a box of wigs.

She stands at attention in front of Jacqueline, who’s finishing up a phone conversation that involves the phrases “involuntary manslaughter” and “purple gel pens.” There’s a chair pushed up to the edge of her desk but Jane doesn’t dare sit.

Jacqueline says, “Be there by Sunday,” and hangs up, turning her full attention to Jane, who’s trying very hard not to squirm. People who are physically and emotionally prepared to be agents don’t squirm.

“Jane,” she says. “I’ve been looking over your application. It’s quite impressive.”

Jane isn’t sure what to do in this situation. She can’t nod, because that seems cocky, she can’t shrug because that seems meek. Eventually, she just tilts her head, and curses herself for looking like a dog.

“You’ve wanted this for a long time, haven’t you?” Jacqueline continues, shuffling a stack of papers that look very important.

“Yes,” Jane says, because she read somewhere that powerful words that don’t leave room for argument are best in job interviews, and she supposes that’s kind of what this is. “I have.”

“And what do you think about our current situation?” Jacqueline presses.

“I think we can do it,” Jane says, trying to summon some of Kat’s unwavering confidence. “I mean, an actual women’s magazine is a little outside of our comfort zone, but it’s doable with a lot of organization and coordination.” She takes a breath, suddenly acutely aware how much it sounds like she’s telling Jacqueline how to do her job.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Jacqueline says. “There are a lot of qualities that are important for agents to possess. Complete and singular dedication to a goal- that’s one of them. And you have done nothing but show it for several years.”

She pauses, as if waiting for Jane to weigh in, but Jane doesn’t think she could open her mouth if she tried.

Jacqueline breaks into a smile, a nice, professional smile with just a hint of familiar warmth. “Report to me for your first assignment tomorrow morning,” she says and something in Jane explodes, probably an artery or something.

“I- really?” she says, hating how childish she sounds. “Just like that?”

“Just like that,” Jacqueline says. “Scarlet- I have to admit, the name’s growing on me- is undergoing a lot of changes, and I’d like you to be on board during that. What do you say?”

“Yes!” Jane says. “I say yes- I mean, of course I do- I’ll be here tomorrow. I won’t let you down.”

Jacqueline’s smile becomes that much more personal in just a couple of seconds. “I know you won’t.”

Jane leaves in a state of mild shock because _she’s an agent_ and _they’re making a magazine_ and oh God, she has to tell Kat and Sutton right now immediately, except she absolutely cannot find them, but that’s fine because she’s an agent and this is the best moment of her life.

She’s going to jump from _so many trains._

**Author's Note:**

> theoretically, this will follow the episodes, more or less. 
> 
> i'm corner-of-sky on tumblr so hmu!


End file.
